Chapter 402: Pill Gathering Begins

However, Xiao Yan would not be foolish enough to stand there and take a beating; that would be too pathetic. He secretly wrapped himself in the Three-Origin Return to One Qi and began to observe the soul skills they were using.

Xiao Yan had used soul power to attack before, but he could only condense soul power into animal or weapon shapes to attack.

Of course, this kind of attack was relatively ordinary, and its power mainly depended on the strength of Xiao Yan's soul. It was far less powerful than a soul skill and just looked intimidating.

Under Xiao Yan's observation, he discovered that the soul skills the four were using seemed to be the same one. Actually, thinking about it, soul skills were not like Dou Techniques; they were extremely rare, and very few people could create them.

Generally speaking, one could create Dou Techniques once their strength reached the Dou Zong level, and Dou Sheng could even create Heaven-Tier Dou Techniques. But soul skills were different; even a Dou Sheng would find it difficult to create one.

The soul skills currently in existence were all passed down from ancient times and were extremely precious. Only the Pill Tower had the strength to bring them out, and the soul skill that Cao Ying and the other three were practicing was provided by the Pill Tower, called the "Soul Profound Seal Palm."

This Dou Technique could compress soul power to the size of a palm, and its attack speed was extremely fast, capable of tearing a crack in space. Its power was also extremely extraordinary.

Xiao Yan observed for a long time and discovered that this Soul Hand Seal had a total of three seals. After fully learning these three hand seals, Xiao Yan was too lazy to continue acting as a wooden stake.

Xiao Yan's hand seals changed rapidly, and as they changed, an incomparably solid palm print condensed rapidly in front of him.

After Cao Ying and the other three noticed Xiao Yan's actions, they felt their souls trembling, a feeling of hair standing on end.

"He learned it so quickly!" Elder Sheng Yao naturally knew that the soul skill Xiao Yan was using was learned from Cao Ying; after all, Xiao Yan had not been in contact with the Pill Tower and could not have obtained this soul skill otherwise.

After Xiao Yan finished condensing the hand seals, he looked at the four people in front of him and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

Cao Ying and the other three looked at the demonic smile Xiao Yan was emitting and felt their scalps go numb. After all, the hand seals Xiao Yan condensed were much more solid than theirs, and the power was certainly more terrifying.

"Roar!" A dragon roar like a thunderclap sounded, causing the entire great hall to tremble continuously. The people in the hall heard this dragon roar and felt somewhat dizzy.

Xiao Yan had previously taken the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, so his attacks carried the blessing of dragon might. Especially this kind of attack targeting the soul, its power was even more extraordinary.

Xiao Yan struck out four palms in succession, and the palm prints, the size of a hand, instantly pierced through the void and landed on Cao Ying and the other three.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Four muffled sounds rang out, and Cao Ying and the other three were directly blown away. Dan Chen was fine, only being pushed back, but Cao Ying, Bai Ying, and Qiu Ji were not so lucky, directly spitting out a mouthful of blood. It was clear they were not lightly injured.

Xiao Yan did not strike unless necessary, but once he did, it was a lethal blow, and he showed no mercy. Bai Ying and Qiu Ji were one thing, but even Cao Ying, a great beauty, was beaten until she spat blood. It was clearly somewhat ruthless.

"Thank you for showing mercy!" Dan Chen saw that only she was not injured, and after steadying her figure, she thanked Xiao Yan. After all, she was weak in constitution to begin with; if she had been injured by Xiao Yan, it would likely be difficult for her to participate in the Pill Gathering.

"No need to thank me! I just felt you were young," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile. After all, Dan Chen had not provoked him, so there was no need to strike a heavy blow.

Cao Ying wiped the blood from her mouth and looked at Xiao Yan. There was no hatred in her eyes. She walked generously in front of Xiao Yan and said, "You are indeed very powerful. In so many years, you are the first person to defeat me. I look forward to the upcoming Pill Gathering."

Xiao Yan looked at Cao Ying, who had adjusted her mindset so quickly, and felt slightly surprised. To be honest, Cao Ying's alchemy talent was no weaker than Xiao Yan's; she had just been kept in a greenhouse for too long and had become somewhat complacent.

In life, the most frightening thing is complacency, thinking one is invincible. Xiao Yan had his current achievements because he understood this world very well. Even if he became a Dou Sheng, Xiao Yan felt it was just average.

So what if one is a Dou Sheng? Even a nine-star Dou Sheng, in the eyes of peak experts like Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun, is just like that—nothing more than a matter of a few extra slaps.

It was precisely because of this mindset that Xiao Yan would never be self-satisfied or drown in the trap of flattery.

"Hehe, I look forward to your performance in the Pill Gathering. If there are no opponents, I will feel very bored. And the competition between us will be somewhat different," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile, then walked out of the great hall.

Cao Ying looked at Xiao Yan's back, feeling somewhat strange. What could be different?

The Pill Gathering was a competition that almost all alchemists would participate in. After all, the champion of every Pill Gathering would leave a resounding name in the history of the Dou Qi Continent. Xiao Yan's teacher, Yao Chen, had once been the champion of the Pill Gathering. If he had not fallen back then, his status now would definitely not be weaker than the three titans of the Pill Tower.

Of course, even if one did not win the championship in the Pill Gathering, as long as one performed brilliantly, they would still be valued by those major forces and subsequently recruited.

Even if one was unwilling to join those major forces and chose to be a free agent, if they performed well, they could still obtain many benefits. After all, in this world, Dou Zong experts were the core combat power, and those who could perform brilliantly in the Pill Gathering were basically eighth-grade alchemists.

The medicinal pills refined by eighth-grade alchemists were exactly what Dou Zong experts needed most. Whether it was healing medicine or pills that could improve strength, they were extremely needed by these people. Therefore, these people would try every possible way to make you owe them favors, just as Yao Chen had said before—begging to stuff top-tier Dou Techniques and precious items into your hands.

The Pill Gathering, the most lofty gathering in the hearts of countless alchemists, finally raised its curtain today.

The venue for the Pill Gathering was located on a square in the northern district of the inner region. Although this square was a thousand zhang in size, it was still crowded with people.

At this moment, many massive stone platforms were suspended in the air above the square. The platforms flickered with light, looking extremely miraculous.

"Hehe, those stone platforms are the final seats for the contestants. Only those who pass the checkpoints are qualified to use them!" Ye Zhong saw Xiao Yan looking at the stone platforms in the sky and introduced with a smile. Xiao Yan had brought supreme glory to the Ye clan. Since the assessment ended, the Ye clan had completely changed, with guests pouring in endlessly. However, Ye Zhong handed these guests over to other elders to receive, and he took the initiative to act as Xiao Yan's guide.

"Dong!"

A crisp bell sound rang out. The people in the square who were still communicating heard this bell sound and immediately stopped, standing solemnly and very seriously. The originally noisy square suddenly became quiet at this moment.

Not long after the bell rang, a burst of wind-breaking sounds suddenly arose. The space on the stone platforms suddenly began to distort, and over a dozen figures appeared in mid-air.

Xiao Yan raised his eyes to look and found they were all unfamiliar faces. However, when his gaze swept to a white-robed old man, he was suddenly stunned.

"Teacher..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 403 =====